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Repeat Alberni sex offender sentenced

A Port Alberni man convicted of a sex crime involving a minor won’t serve any more jail time for the offence.

In Port Alberni Provincial Court on Jan. 17, Judge T. Dohm sentenced Shaun Pater, 32, to time served (three months) plus one day in custody for sexual interference with a girl under the age of 16. Pater appeared via video from Vancouver Island Regional Correctional Centre in Victoria, where he had been incarcerated for another matter.

Conditions that apply to Pater’s release from the conviction include registering with the federal sex offender database for life; providing a sample of his DNA to the federal crime data bank; and to have no contact with the victim or persons under 16.

The sentence was jointly submitted by the Crown counsel and Pater’s attorney, and accepted by Judge Dohm.

The offense Pater was convicted of Thursday originally occurred from August 2010 to January 2011, facts read before the court noted.

The complainant was 15 years old when she was first introduced to Pater by a male school friend.

In the summer of 2010, Pater picked the girl and a friend up from a party and brought them to his residence. He gave her alcohol and cigarettes before groping then having sex with her.

Pater followed the same pattern over the next six months: contacting the girl by e-mail or Facebook, meeting her, plying her with alcohol and cigarettes then having sex.

The girl estimated this happened 10 times between August 2010 and January 2011. She tried telling Pater once that what he was doing was wrong but the offences continued.

In January of 2012, the girl learned Pater was in jail after hearing about it on a radio news report (he had been jailed for different offences). She felt safe from harm, and accompanied by an adult supporter disclosed her ordeal with Pater to RCMP.

The girl’s victim impact statement noted that she wrestles self esteem and self respect issues, an inability to trust and form relationships, and blames herself for what happened.

In quoting from a pre-sentencing report, Pater’s lawyer Donald McKay said Pater has the mind of a 14- 16-year-old and has limited cognitive ability.

A pre-sentence and forensic report, both ordered last year, stated Pater was previously combative and uncooperative with probation authorities, even threatening a staff member on one occasion.

Pater was unable to complete sex offender counselling because of his “serial incarceration for similar kinds of offences,” Dohm said.

The reports note that Pater admitted responsibility in the matter to a point. According to him, the sexual relationship wasn’t forced but was rather consensual. The girl maintains that it was forced and was always preceded by alcohol.

Pater will be back in court on Jan. 25 to face sexual assault charges from an incident that occurred on Dec. 23, 2012.